PHOENIX (Interstat) — For eight innings Friday night at Chase Field, a classic pitcher’s duel unfolded in near silence, with zeros dominating the scoreboard and hits at a premium. Then, with one swing, Ozzie Albies shattered the stalemate, launching a solo home run in the top of the ninth inning to propel the Atlanta Braves to a 2-0 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks.

The win improved Atlanta’s record to 6-2, while Arizona fell to 3-5. A crowd of 29,192 watched the brisk two-hour, 18-minute contest, which saw a combined eight hits and was decided in a dramatic final frame.

The most important part of the game was undoubtedly the Braves’ sudden offensive eruption in the ninth against Diamondbacks closer Paul Sewald. After Sewald retired the first batter he faced to end the eighth, he returned for the ninth and immediately fell behind Albies. On a 1-0 pitch, Albies connected, sending a fly ball over the right-field wall to break the scoreless tie. The very next batter, Matt Olson, followed suit, crushing a solo shot to left-center field to provide a critical insurance run. The back-to-back homers transformed a tense, low-scoring affair into a decisive Braves advantage, capitalizing on one of the game’s few mistakes by either pitching staff.

The game’s narrative was overwhelmingly defined by starting pitching. Atlanta’s Grant Holmes delivered the top performance, tossing six dominant innings of one-hit ball. He walked two, struck out four and never allowed a Diamondback to reach second base. His effort set the tone and squarely outperformed his previous start, a loss to Kansas City where he allowed three runs in five innings.

He was matched nearly pitch-for-pitch by Arizona’s Eduardo Rodriguez, who was equally brilliant over seven shutout innings. Rodriguez scattered four hits, walked one and struck out three. The left-hander worked out of his only significant jam in the sixth, stranding runners at the corners by striking out Matt Olson and getting Austin Riley to ground into a forceout.

The bullpens preserved the deadlock into the late innings. For Atlanta, Dylan Lee worked a scoreless seventh, allowing a single to Alek Thomas. Robert Suarez then pitched a perfect eighth, striking out one, to earn the win and move to 1-0. Raisel Iglesias finished the game with a 1-2-3 ninth for his first save of the season.

Arizona’s relievers were initially just as effective. Ryan Thompson recorded an out in the eighth and Juan Morillo finished that inning with a strikeout. But Sewald could not replicate their success in the ninth, surrendering the two decisive home runs to absorb the loss, dropping his record to 0-1.

Offensively, the Braves managed six hits, with Albies leading the way by going 3-for-4 with his game-winning homer and an RBI. Olson’s homer accounted for the other run. Ronald Acuña Jr. and Drake Baldwin each added a single. Arizona’s attack was stifled all night, limited to just two singles by Ketel Marte and Alek Thomas. The Diamondbacks put only three runners in scoring position all game and hit into a key double play in the sixth to squander a potential rally.

The victory gave Atlanta its second straight win in the series following a 17-2 rout of Arizona on Thursday. The Braves entered the game as a slight pregame favorite with a spread of -1.5, a prediction that came true with the late rally. The total score of two runs fell well under the over/under line of 9, a testament to the pitching on display. The result also defied the Interstat ELO system, which had given Arizona a 52.7 percent probability to win.

Atlanta will look to secure the series win Saturday in the third game of the four-game set. The Braves then travel to face the Los Angeles Angels for a three-game series beginning Monday. Arizona, seeking to avoid another series loss, will host the Braves through Sunday before embarking on a lengthy road trip starting with three games against the New York Mets on Tuesday.